Is 1300 calories a realistic goal?

It can be done. I like to eat out for lunch but have learned to change what I order. I can have a chicken fajita rice bowl at Chipotle for 400 calories, mixed veggies and broccoli beef at Panda Express for 350, 6 oz sirloin and soup for 450 at Chili's, or shrimp skewers with rice and broccoli for 300 at Red Lobster. I have found <500 calorie meals at most of the places I like to go.

Then dinner is often chicken noodle soup with apples, grapes, carrots and a Fiber One bar for about 400 calories. Add an English muffin and tea in the morning and I still have a bit left. Even days without exercise can stay within 1300 calories if you plan things right. You just don't get to throw in much bread or other treats. But that makes your exercise days more rewarding.

You could try changing your loss rate to 1/2lb week ,especially as you only have 20lb to lose. Of course you would reach your goal a bit slower but if alternative is not adhering to your plan, it's probably a better idea.

I did that, lost 10kg or about 22lb, in10 months.

Also, you could even your intake over the week , ie the days you work out and have an allowance of 1600, eat, say 1500, and carry the spare 100 over for a non work out day. This might stop those days feeling so restrictive.

how much do you weigh? 1300 is nowhere NEAR enough!

how much do you weigh? 1300 is nowhere NEAR enough!

I'd die.

It depends on how tall, how much you weigh, what your resting metabolism is, and whether you add in a workout or not.

I would love to help! I put my calories in about 500 less per day than I burn WITHOUT exercise and when I do work out I earn more calories! That way you lose weight whether or not you work out.

80 percent of weight loss really is diet! I started last week and have already lost lbs (and that was going way over for 2 days.) I also overestimate my calories in and underestimate calories out by a little.

I highly suggest doing somewhere where they can test your metabolism.

how much do you weigh? 1300 is nowhere NEAR enough!

I'd die.

You are a man, possibly younger than OP and probably taller.

Agreed, 1300 is not enough for you - but that is irrelevant, you are not OP.

1300 is tough. And honestly, if you feel like it's not enough, it's probably not. However.....if you have your goal set to lose 1lb per week, then you already have a deficit of 500 calories built in each day. So in reality if on your rest days you go over by 100-200 calories, you still have a deficit for the day. I'm not advocating going over, but realistically if it's just once a week, it's not going to have a big impact. However, if it's multiple times per week, you may want to consider either changing your goal to 1/2lb loss, or use the TDEE method.
I've got my goal at 1300, but most days with exercise calories I eat 1600-1800. The days that I don't do cardio are tough to stay within my goal. But then there are days when I have a large number of exercise calories that I couldn't possibly eat back. So over the course of the week, it all evens out.
In terms of trying to stay in the 1300 - fresh veggies are your best friend. Load up on them as much as possible.

Set your goal to 1/2 pound a week.

I eat 1300 - 1500 a day as a 6ft 3 man, so it's perfectly doable. I only really get hungry late at night. Eating small but often helps a lot, and drinking a full 2 litres of water a day.

I eat 1300-1500 max calories a day. I am a very short 21 year old female however

A general day for me looks like

Breakfast- Vega Sports Performance Shake (Made with water, lactose problems) + banana and all the plain tea I could want.. I only drink black tea however

Lunch : 100 calorie 100% ww wrap, 2 eggs , deli meat and a small amount of lactose cheese about 360 cals

Dinner: I like to vary it up but my fast go to's are :
extra lean ground turkey, broccoli cole slaw and a bit of cheese + salsa for a undone taco if you will 390 cals
panko crusted tilapia, 1/4c rice+ 1/2 plate of veggies is 370ish
tonight I was in a hurry so I had soup + a homemade veggie+deli meat quesadilla on a ww wrap =440

typical snacks:
niagra county apple bar 100 cals (full of nuts, apples)
cashews
fruits and veggies
hummus
chai latte (made at home)
coconut yogurt+granola (measured of course)
normally my snacks are around 340-320-350 for the day

don't get me wrong if im hungry I eat more! I never ever deprive myself, I just make healthy choices.
I find that by eating more protein+ nuts+ fiber I stay very full but that's me

I eat 1300 - 1500 a day as a 6ft 3 man, so it's perfectly doable. I only really get hungry late at night. Eating small but often helps a lot, and drinking a full 2 litres of water a day.

This is scary - and not good advice for the original poster as she has much less weight to lose. FYI: Water doesn't support lean muscle mass...but carry on

OP - if you plug in your stats using a TDEE calculator (total daily energy expenditure) and include exercise.....then take a cut....500 calories for 1 pound a week.....this will average out the calories. You wouldn't have the up/down of workout vs. rest days.

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

As it turned out, yesterday wasn't really an issue. I only went over by about 13 calories. Thanks for all the advice. I'll stick with it for a while, and see what happens.

I would consider 13 calories over to be on target - you dont have to get under really, you know - your total already has a built in deficit so going over slightly is really fine.:flowerforyou:

One thing that occurs to me is that maybe the method of having a base calorie amount and 'eating back' exercise calories doesn't work for you. It's MFP's default method, but it doesn't mean that's how you have to do it. It could be that it's hard for you to eat less on the days you're not exercising than on the days you are.

Overall, you should aim for a 3500/week deficit. So if you're working out on alternate days, try to use the weekly TDEE less 3500 calorie method, where the TDEE is calculated with the activity level you do built in. Then eat around the same number of calories every day whether or not it's a workout day, and don't worry about eating back exercise calories. It should average out to the same as what you're eating now, but with fewer fluctuations.

Which method is better? I suspect it's personal preference. Give it a go if you like, and see how it does for you.

OLD THREAD and according to her ticker OP hasn't lost any weight.

I'm doing 1350 and have managed to stay under for 18 out of the 21 days I've been doing this. If I plan carefully I do not feel deprived. I cut calories where I can and make up for any excess in exercise. I think you should adjust your fitness level to more active status.

You don't sound sedentary to me, if you work out 4-5 times a week. Sedentary would include people who have health problems that prevent them from actively working out on a regular basis. For example, I've had a total knee replacement, which eliminates impact exercise. I'm limited to walking and biking. It's harder to reach the heartrate one needs for good cardio that way. Walking and biking can be hard on the knees too, so I would consider myself fairly sedentary.

I think if you claimed a more active status you would be allowed a few more calories to play with. Maybe 1600-1800, but I'm not sure.

A typical breakfast for me is either coffee and toast or coffee and steel-cut oats, or maybe a piece of toast with a fried egg on it. Lunch is likely to be tea or coffee and a sandwich with half an ounce of cheese, one slice of deli sliced turkey, with a slice of tomato and lettuce or a bowl of vegetable soup. I try to keep breakfast around 200 calories and lunch at 300. That gives me room to have a normal dinner and a bedtime snack.